My Start-Up Life

What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley
1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-0-7879-9613-0
Verlag: Wiley

Buch, Englisch, 208 Seiten, Format (B × H): 162 mm x 232 mm, Gewicht: 376 g

Ben Casnocha discovered he was entrepreneur at age 12 and hasn't slowed down since. In this remarkably instructive book, Ben dissects the entrepreneurship "gene," explaining that everyone has inherited it if they have an idea to make the world a better place. In Casnocha's case, he found a better way for city governments to communicate with constituents on the Web. Six years later, Comcate has dozens of municipal clients, a growing staff, and a record of excellence. This book is the story of his start-up, but also a conversation with his mentors, clients and fellow entrepreneurs about how to make a business idea work?and how to have the time of your life trying. From Pat Lencioni to Marc Benioff of salesforce.com, Ben has won over the best and brightest of the business world?now it's your turn!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Casnocha, Ben

Weitere Mitwirkende

Benioff, Marc

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword xi
By Marc Benioff

Introduction 1

1.0 My Dot-Com Life Begins 5

Brainstorm: Who Knows What Could Happen If You Raise Your Hand? 7

Brain Trust: Take Responsibility, by Heidi Roizen 11

2.0 Nature or Nurture? A San Francisco Upbringing 14

Brainstorm: All the Fuss About “Passion”—and How to Tap into Yours 16

3.0 The First Axiom of Business: Find a Need and Fill It 18

Brainstorm: The Fringe-Thoughts List: Where Most Great Ideas Develop 19

Brainstorm: Feedback, Feedback, Feedback 22

4.0 Comcate is Born: The Nuts and Bolts of Starting a Business 26

Brainstorm: The Business Plan Myth 28

Brainstorm: Why Some People Get More Stuff Done (and Start Real Businesses) 33

5.0 First Meeting with a VC (It’s All About the Network) 36

Brainstorm: The Power of Mentors 37

Brainstorm: When to Ask a Dumb Question 40

Brain Trust: Taking Mentor Relationships to the Next Level, by Brad Feld 42

6.0 Signing Up Early Customers: Selling the Sizzle and the Steak 44

Brainstorm: Asking Questions: There’s a Right and a Wrong Way 47

Brainstorm: I Have a Strategic Plan. It’s Called Doing Things. 49

7.0 Confronting Failure. and Bouncing Back 52

Brainstorm: Building Resilience—A Transferable Quotient 57

Brainstorm: How to Create and Leverage an Advisory Board 60

8.0 Hiring an Interim CEO: My First Big Mistake 64

Brainstorm: Three Sure Ways to Maximize Luck 68

9.0 The Hunt for a COO: Recruiting a Top Team 70

Brainstorm: The Art of Courtship 78

Brainstorm: How to Overcome Fear of Failure 85

10.0 Life as a Road Warrior: Making Memorable Sales Pitches 90

Brainstorm: Presentations—Worthy of Obsession 93

Brainstorm: Pricing in an Early-Stage Company 100

Brain Trust: Life is a Sales Call, by Jeff Parker 105

11.0 I’m a Sophomore: Balancing Work, School, and Life 106

Brainstorm: Redefining the Entrepreneurial Lifestyle: Sleep, Nutrition, Exercise 108

Brainstorm: Being a Corporate Athlete 114

Brain Trust: A Life That Works, by Chris Yeh 119

12.0 A Silicon Valley Life: Building Me, Inc. 121

Brainstorm: Networking 101 124

Brainstorm: Networking 202 126

Brainstorm: Every Cold Call Can Be Warm— Rich First-Time Interactions 128

Brainstorm: Creating and Projecting Brand “Me” 131

13.0 The Product Development Process: Cheap, Good, or Fast? 137

Brainstorm: Dare to Be Mediocre: Good is the Enemy of Perfect 141

14.0 It’s a Frugal, Frugal World: Bootstrapping Through the Inevitable Cash Squeeze 144

Brainstorm: Asking for Money Versus Asking for Advice 147

15.0 The Long, Hard Slog: Achieving Scale 149

Brainstorm: A Relationship-Based First Business 152

Brainstorm: Getting More Good Revenue and Less Bad Revenue 154

Brain Trust: Keep Slogging Away, by Carol Rutlen 157

16.0 Fulfilling the Mission, One Customer at a Time 158

Brainstorm: Make Meaning: What Gets You and Your Employees Up Each Day? 160

17.0 The Road Ahead: Leaders of the Flat World 162

Brain Trust: How to Think About the Future, by Sean Ness 165

18.0 What Will You Be Shouting When You Reach the Grave? 167

Brainstorm: Entrepreneurs Are Optimists 170

Brain Trust: Let Your Heart Guide You, by Timothy J. Taylor 171

Appendix A: What’s Next 173

Appendix B: A One-a-Day, One-Month Plan to Becoming a Better Entrepreneur 175

Appendix C: Ben’s Reading List 179

Acknowledgments 183

Endnotes 185

The Author 189

Über Autor(innen)

THE AUTHOR

Ben Casnocha is a San Francisco-based entrepreneur, writer, student, and blogger. Currently 19 years old, he serves on the board of Comcate, Inc., the leading e-government technology firm he founded six years ago. In 2006, BusinessWeek included him on its list of "America's best young entrepreneurs." His work has been featured on CNN and in USA Today. He will attend Claremont McKenna College after publication of this book. In his free time he indulges in passions for ping-pong, bow ties, and chess. Visit his blog at ben.casnocha.com